Thriller. He Made Thriller.

Some initial thoughts on the death of Michael Jackson.

I could say 'alleged death' because although it's probably a foregone conclusion that he's dead, it's still not totally confirmed by everyone in the world. But if TMZ reports that he's dead, he's probably dead. They're pretty good with getting their reporters to sneak into places. I'm sure some Hollywood nightclubs have better security than most hospitals. At the time that I write this, CNN doesn't have confirmation that he's dead, just the noted fact from a family friend that the "family is sobbing". I don't know how often a whole family sobs over a coma, so let's assume Michael's passed on. So here's some thoughts.

I heard something on the drive home from work that really irked me. Some lady called into the radio station I was listening to and said that it "wasn't that I don't care, but I think he got what he deserved. He has been punished for his sins on earth". I had to really ponder this comment, which certainly on the surface seems like some smug religious "I told you so" garbage. And it is, but as I listened to more and more of the calls-in, I could hear a definite thread to most of the calls. A startling majority of what I heard confirmed a notion that nobody cares about Michael Jackson anymore, that he's a pervert, that he's a psycho and that the world is better off now that he's gone. I just can't agree to that, and here's why.

Every news story is going to have two angles right now: Jackson the artist and Jackson the accused child molester/weirdo. Sadly, it's the latter that is going to, and has gotten, everyone worked up. I have chosen to look at this passing of Jackson pragmatically. I'm going to look at the facts, not as a fan or a detractor, but as a purveyor of the truth. And the truth is this: The world will forever be in debt to him. That's a fact, worthy of dispute or not. There are things that are undeniable: He was one of the greatest performers of all time, some could argue the absolute greatest. His music transcended all boundaries, both natural and man-made. His influence on future generations of people from any walk of life is incredible and eternal. His musical credits are immortal. It's safe to say that Michael Jackson will be immortal.

Those are facts as I see them. Regardless of our own feelings about his personal life, there are things that aren't facts. Aren't true is everything that has been written in the tabloids, mainstream media or any other medium that doesn't concern his music or things that Jackson himself hasn't admitted to. I have to believe in innocence until proven guilty. I have to believe in the law. If the law could not prove, confirm or convict any of the things that he allegedly did, I can't objectively say that he "got what he deserved" by dying. In life and now in death, I can only imagine that he lived a horrid, tortured life where half the world despised him. So why would we want to cloud his passing and smear his legacy with hearsay?

Am I a huge fan? No. But I have to give credit where credit's due. I think the correct viewpoint for us would be that we look at what Michael Jackson actually DID, not what he was accused of doing, and judge him based on that. Therefore, I will remember Michael Jackson as an unsurpassed talent, a legendary artist and a phenomenal performer, something that will never been seen again.

And Thriller. He made Thriller.

RIP Michael Jackson. You're finally going to be left alone.